Getting the rear bagger part off solo is MUCHeasier than putting it on! At least when your taking it off, you can just lift up and let it down. Putting it on, its like threading a needle with 200 lbs of thread!!! I just think the whole thing is WAY overbuilt.

It taps a bit more horsepower than I thought it would as well. Hate to see it on a 22hp!

With a helper it is really easy and it even has nice handles on either side to grab onto. Maybe the smaller 2 bag unit is more managable, but the big one is a broken back waiting to happen for us solo guys.

I usually agree with most everything I read here posted by Tommy - he's been a great help to me in the past and I may not have told him before so thanks Tommy - but in this case I must disagree

The UltraVac is NOT overbuilt. They built it for idiots like me! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not usually an idiot and I pride myself on taking good care of my equipment, but for some reason I have just beat the crap out of the UV on my 60" Lazer. I mow thousands of feet of fence lines and an orchard and I have banged that thing into fences, gates and trees so hard that it dented the plastic cover [in 2 places], bent the metal hinge on the cover and tweaked the steel frame to the point where I had to use an 8 pound beater to get it off. The one year old UltraVac looks years old while the Lazer it's sometimes attached to looks like new [see I told you I"m not a complete idiot

I blame my UV problems on a couple of things; 1] it's way wider than you think, 2] since it's behind you and you're used to the zero turn thing you can't see if it's going to clear an object or not until it's too late, 3] since it's behind you, you don't think about it until it's too late.

That being said, it really picks everything up well, even the wettest stuff which is usually all I have here, unless you aren't paying attention to how it sounds and you overfill it and plug the tube. DAMHIKT! I do agree with Tommy that it's a hernia waiting to happen to try and put this thing on by yourself, but it's a good product and is NOT overbuilt - it's built for idiots like me!

For me, the vac is not the problem. Like TLS said, putting the bagger ON is a PITA. If you have to carry the vac any distance, consider using an appliance dolley. I usually just carry it.

For the bagger I use a 4x4 beam held in brackets across the inside of the covered trailer. It has an eye bolt through it that I hook a tension style cargo strap to and lift the bagger with. Once it's over the frame, (I may have to back under it a little to get closer) I can move it around pretty well and lower it on; same way taking it off. Maybe you can make an "A" frame or swing set style lift like some people use to pull engines from cars. BTW I use the same 4x4 with a come-along at the front or back of the trailer to lift the front or rear of the LZ60 and others for maintenance and deck cleaning/blade changes. You can flip the bagger over on it's top and dolley it too. There's always an easier way so, I don't strain anything I don't have to; hernias aren't fun. Hope this helps.

Yeah, the Ultra-Vac does tend to hang out a bit but I guess thats what comes with the increased capacity over the smaller unit. I find that I dont need the front weights. Its a little light in the loafers (on the front) but it is by no means dangerous. Maybe with 3 hoppers full of wet grass you'd need them, but with leaves its fine without them.

I meant to say that I also took off the front weights which is frowned on by the manufacturer. Because the ground is often soft here because of the frequent rain during the heaviest growth period when I need the UV the most I don't like the exta weight which can cause ruts. Caution, as Tommy said, it is a bit light in the loafers when you do this but I have 99 percent level ground. I do have one small area with a rise to it and if it were any steeper or larger of an area, I'd put the weights back on.

Hookset, I have the 27 HP liquid cooled Lazer and the UV doesn't even slow it down a bit. It just chews that stuff up and spits it out.

Thanks for everyone's reply. I thought I might put some sort of frame on the trailer to help take the ultra vac on and off. I run the Kohler with the 26 EFI, it does fine except for climbing a step hill with the bags full. It just seems to crawl up a step grade. I can sure tell the difference when its off, ground speed is a lot better. As long as the leaves aren't wet I usally over fill the Bags if I'm dumping by road side or in the woods. It saves a little time as long as it doesn't stop up.